Local governments in world cities are approaching culture differently. This change is in response to a changing world order, increasingly divisive national politics, and crises of national identity in countries around the globe.

The report is based on extensive data and practice research from 35 major global cities. It showcases a wide range of innovative cultural practices, opening culture to a greater range of people, practitioners, art forms and new spaces.

Lisbon to host World Cities Culture Summit 2019

The 8th World Cities Culture Forum summit will take place next year in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon.

Delegates will gather to discuss the role of culture in building open and tolerant cities and in addressing environmental challenges. More information and the summit launch video here.

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World Cities Culture Summit SanFrancisco 2018

A record 32 cities gathered in San Francisco for the summit, to discuss how culture and new technologies are transforming world cities.

Highlights included choreographer Alonzo King’s moving opening keynote speech, reminding us to become better listeners and shift our thinking from ‘me’ to ‘we’. The summit also included a lively and passionate debate on what cultural equity and diversity means in different cities, and how city leaders can achieve this, with examples from Amsterdam, New York, Zurich, Taipei and San Francisco’s SOMArts.

We welcome four new members

We are pleased to welcome Dublin, Helsinki, Nanjing and Oslo to our Forum, taking our global network to 38 cities.

For the latest developments, both from the Forum and in urban cultural policy globally, follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

]]>2018-12-10T09:49:00+00:00http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/lisbon-to-host-world-cities-culture-summit-in-2019
http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/lisbon-to-host-world-cities-culture-summit-in-2019#When:11:25:00ZThe next World Cities Culture Summit will take place in Lisbon on 23-25 October 2019, it has been announced on the final day of this year’s international conference.

Lisbon has been chosen to host next year’s summit thanks to its strategic positioning as “an open capital: a central and cosmopolitan city, with an international calling”. The city is considered to be an architectural gem (with a reputation especially for tiling and tile-making), and is currently enjoying something of a renaissance among young European entrepreneurs and creatives who are coming to the city to take advantage of its affordability and ancient charms.

The role of culture in building open and tolerant cities, its role in addressing environmental challenges and forward-looking audience engagement strategies will be discussed at the Lisbon Summit.

“It’s a great honour for us to host this fantastic event. We are still young members of the World Cities Culture Forum and very happy to be among this group of cities. We are totally committed to work actively in this network and that is why we choose to embrace hosting the summit.”

Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture and the Creative Industries and Chair of the World Cities Culture Forum said:

“It is great news that Lisbon will host the next annual World Cities Culture summit, bringing together city leaders from across the globe to share new ideas on the growing importance of culture to improve our cities. Culture has the power to transform lives – making our cities welcoming and liveable places. As an open and vibrant city, Lisbon will be a great host and help to inspire us all.”

The summit is organised by the World Cities Culture Forum, which is made up of 38 world cities, who all recognise the impact and importance of culture and creativity and are committed to them being at the heart of public policy and city planning.

The 2018 summit, in San Francisco, saw vibrant discussions about how urban centers can maintain their cultural identities in the face of rapid technological change.

]]>2018-11-19T11:25:00+00:00http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/world-cities-culture-report-2018-now-published
http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/world-cities-culture-report-2018-now-published#When:00:46:00ZThe World Cities Culture Report 2018 is now available for download here.

Launched today at the 2018 World Cities Culture Summit in San Francisco, the World Cities Culture Report 2018, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, is the most comprehensive report ever published about culture and the role it plays in shaping life in major cities worldwide. The report is based on extensive data and practice research to reveal how 35 major global cities are in the vanguard of policymaking.

Against a backdrop of a changing world order, increasingly divisive national politics and crises of national identity in countries around the globe, the World Cities Culture Report 2018 highlights a change in approach from local governments in world cities. Recognising that cultural investment over the last 20 years has sometimes unintentionally contributed to social pressures in global cities, the report finds that urban cultural policy is shifting towards more egalitarian and citizen-centred models.

The report showcases a wide range of innovative cultural practice and demonstrates a growing inclusivity, with culture open to a greater range of people, practitioners, art forms and new spaces.

In Hong Kong, Rome and Moscow, mobile arts venues and libraries are used to bring culture closer to citizens in every corner of their cities, particularly those areas with traditionally lower engagement with arts and culture

Projects in Montréal, San Francisco and Melbourne, have been developed in collaboration with, and in recognition of, indigenous populations to celebrate and fully acknowledge the cultures of First Nations

A number of cities are working with migrants and refugees to provide cultural opportunities to marginalised groups, from support to refugee artist residencies in Paris to Brussels, to offering film screenings to refugees in parks, asylum centres and people’s homes

London has established the world’s first Culture at Risk initiative – a hotline for venues at risk of closure due to rising rates, increasing development and shifting populations, and has been involved in saving 300 venues from grassroots music venues to LGBT+ spaces

Stockholm’s cultural administration has teamed up with media company Consigo on a project called Tactsenze, enabling the visually impaired to learn an instrument, an example of social inclusion through technology

To respond to the needs of a growing ageing population Amsterdam’s Age Friendly Cultural City programme focuses specifically on cultural provision for the city’s older residents.

The report documents emerging cultural trends and flagship cultural projects taking place in cities across the world. It also measures cultural infrastructure and consumption across 45 distinct indicators on a city by city basis. This live database is available open source to researchers here.

“This report demonstrates the power of culture to bring communities together around the world. From film screenings for marginalised groups to mobile cultural venues putting culture on everyone’s doorstep, we have seen culture spark innovation, power economies and allow us to celebrate who we are.

“In London we have seen how investing in culture unites communities and gives young people positive opportunities to achieve their full potential. By putting cultural policies and ideas at the heart of how we lead our cities, we can ensure that they remain welcoming and inclusive places to work, to play and live.”

“Through the World Cities Culture Forum we see that our member cities are committed to promoting the common values of openness and inclusivity – and that culture is an essential part of how to make these values tangible for citizens.”

Kate D. Levin who oversees Bloomberg Philanthropies Art Program said:

“The World Cities Culture Report 2018 provides a vivid, data-driven portrait of the impact that culture has in cities around the world. The research captures the uniqueness of each city, as well as the common thread of significant impact made by each creative community in celebrating and serving residents. This report will help advance the international dialogue around cultural programs and policies in cities. As a foundation that values following the data, we applaud the World Cities Culture Forum and are pleased to support this important effort.”

]]>2018-11-16T00:46:00+00:00http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/world-cities-gather-in-chengdu-to-discuss-the-power-of-culture-in-defining
http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/world-cities-gather-in-chengdu-to-discuss-the-power-of-culture-in-defining#When:15:54:00ZWorld Cities from 25 countries, including Deputy Mayors and senior officials from London, New York, Paris and Moscow, gathered in Chengdu in June 2018 to meet with the leaders of Chengdu Municipal Government and discuss opportunities to link together and the influence of culture in Belt and Road Initiative.

The city leaders joined their peers of Chengdu and leading figures from the Chengdu creative industries and cultural sector to witness the launch of a new report on the potential of world cities such as Chengdu to develop cultural and creative economy and enhance global trade.

The report, produced by leading London cultural and creative industry consultancy BOP, assesses the potential of world cities to use culture as a means of facilitating trade and investment, and describes Chengdu as a ‘pioneering world city’ in its policy and vision for investment in culture.

The World Cities Culture (Tianfu) Symposium which is a partner event of the World Cities Culture Forum saw delegates sign a joint declaration committing to the establishment of a new World Cities Belt and Road Cultural Forum. This new forum has been especially designed to enhance the success of the Belt and Road initiative by bringing together world cities through cultural exchange in order to catalyse integration and investment.

The Deputy Mayor of Chengdu said, “We are pleased to welcome so many international officials to our city and to share a little bit of Tianfu culture with the world. It is rewarding to see that the recent investments by Chengdu into cultural industries such as fashion and design are paying dividend and being recognised in reports such as this. It is our vision to contribute to the success of the BRI by developing a cultural dimension to the initiative.”

Paul Owens, Director of World Cities Culture Forum and Founder of BOP said “More than ever before today’s cities need to be prepared to make the case for investment in culture and human capital. Our report shows that infrastructure and systems are fundamental to good growth but without the balance of making places for people, our cities will not succeed. Chengdu’s long history and prioritisation of social harmony and aesthetics will hold it in good stead as it seeks to build a stable economy and international links.”

]]>2018-06-14T15:54:00+00:00http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/leadership-exchange-programme-launched
http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/leadership-exchange-programme-launched#When:08:48:00ZThe World Cities Culture Forum, with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and Google Arts & Culture, is excited to announce the first-ever Leadership Exchange Programme, designed to support World Cities to develop best practices for advancing cultural projects and shaping public policy.

As Mayors around the world invest in cultural projects ranging from cultural facilities and arts programming, to affordable workspace, tourism, engagement and sustainability, the Leadership Exchange Programme is an opportunity to bring cities together. Through peer-to-peer learning they will share the best ideas and approaches from around the world.

In the inaugural programme nine cities will collaborate and develop creative solutions to urban challenges across four exchanges:

Urban affordability for the creative sector - The City of Toronto, led by not-for-profit creative placemaking organisation Artscape, will host Austin, Amsterdam, London, New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Warsaw to share strategies to retain and grow affordable creative spaces.

Re-purposing waste creatively - London will participate in an exchange with New York City to explore the innovative ‘Materials for the Arts’ programme, where waste materials from different sectors are diverted from the waste stream and repurposed by schools and cultural non-profits.

Culture and reconciliation - Sydney and Toronto will collaborate in a city-to-city exchange, sharing new ideas for celebrating Aboriginal communities and promoting their visibility.

Culture in local communities - Buenos Aires will work with London to explore the newly launched London Borough of Culture, which will shine a spotlight on local culture and get citizens involved with culture on their doorstep.

Keep up to date with the development of these exciting projects across social media using #wccf_leadership.

Further information on the Leadership Exchange Programme can be found on our press release here.

]]>2018-05-02T08:48:00+00:00http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/world-cities-culture-report-2018-announced
http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/world-cities-culture-report-2018-announced#When:10:33:00ZThe World Cities Culture Forum is proud to announce the publication of the next edition of the World Cities Culture Report, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies. This new report will be the most important compendium of data and best practice about culture and world cities, following our 2015 edition.

The 2018 edition will look at how cities are leading through their cultural policy. It will allow members to showcase their innovative programmes, original approaches and responses to the challenges they face. It will also highlight new cultural infrastructure projects within cities and what they see as the emerging trends or developing issues over the next five years.

The World Cities Culture Report 2018 will be launched at the annual World Cities Culture Summit in November in San Francisco.

]]>2018-02-21T10:33:00+00:00http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/the-world-cities-culture-summit-a-time-of-sharing-learning-and-inspiration
http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/the-world-cities-culture-summit-a-time-of-sharing-learning-and-inspiration#When:10:27:00ZLast November, the World Cities Culture Forum met in Seoul. This marks the third of three blogs that brings out and reflects on the key discussions and topics that took place there. Our previous two blogs on Seoul’s civic driven cultural policy and the Seoul Declaration can be found here. This final edition looks into how world cities have much in common and much to learn from each other.

One of the most important yet intangible benefits of the World Cities Culture Forum is the power that comes from meeting together and sharing expertise, sharing challenges, and experiencing mutual support and comradeship together in one place. Although there is a great deal of diversity within our member cities, we continue to see striking similarities in the types of challenges that cities face. Resources like the Policy Handbooks on Making Space for Culture or Culture and Climate Change, and schemes like the Leadership Exchange Programme, provide the means to forge partnerships and shared learning in pursuit of common goals.

“The knowledge level of the presenters and attendees was routinely off the charts, and the opportunities to learn from people who have real world solutions to important cultural issues was extraordinary. And now to have the chance to increase the real-world learning through the new Leadership Exchange initiative – most excellent.” - Jim Butler, Creative Industries Development Manager, Cultural Arts Division, City of Austin, Economic Development Department

Here are just a few of the shared experiences that emerged from our time together in South Korea:

The role of culture can be amplified through collaboration in city hallCulture teams in city halls need to collaborate across departments to achieve their objectives. Whatever the issue at hand, they need to speak in terms of other agendas, while reminding city colleagues that artists and creatives offer something special and distinct.

Cultural leaders to strike a balance between stepping in and stepping back, between leading and being ledIn the Candlelight demonstrations of 2016 the use of public space by artists became a catalyst of social change in Seoul. The city’s main square, Gwanghwamun Square, was taken over by artists who, in response to censorship, opened the temporary Black Tent Theatre to perform work free from censorship and provide a platform for marginalised voices.

“We have Black Tent Theatre in Japan and their activities include political messages. We should notice that arts and culture can address political issues and change our society. … city governments should support them.” Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto, Board Member, Arts Council Tokyo; Director of the Center for Arts and Culture, NLI Research Institute.

Very often the beneficiaries of culture are those living in specific neighbourhoods, or tourists visiting the cities

The new Seoul Culture Vision 2030 commits to investing in cultural facilities in parts of the city that have been neglected. Other World Cities are also addressing inequality of cultural access within their cities. It’s often the case that central or affluent neighbourhoods benefit from a greater concentration of cultural facilities, amplifying the inequality within cities.

Chengdu has developed a policy whereby its citizens are never more than a 15-minute walk from a cultural facility. Edinburgh and Hong Kong are seeking to support community arts in all areas of the city, and for the benefits of locals, rather than simply tourists or those who already engage with the arts.

“At the summit, I learnt about different solutions given by world cities to address how to engage citizens in shaping their own cultural strategy and how to bring cultural life to people where they live, instead of asking them to reach venues in the city centre, where most cultural institutions traditionally are located” Luca Bergamo, Vice Mayor and Deputy Mayor for Cultural Development, City of Rome.

Gentrification and a focus on economic development can have a damaging effect on the cultural vibrancy of World Cities

Many (although not all) deputy mayors for culture are forging policies that address the effects of economic development and gentrification in historically poor yet vibrant neighbourhoods. The Community Arts Stabilization Trust in San Francisco has proven to be an inspiration for London in pursuit of practical responses to the effects of market capitalism on the cultural fabric of a city. Other initiatives that were shared in Seoul included Zurich’s policy of providing for artists through running studios and support with paying rent, and Austin’s approach to repurposing available civic spaces to accommodate arts activities.

In Seoul, the city government has begun to address that fact that rapid economic development has come at a cost to citizen wellbeing. Inspired by the Seoul Culture Vision 2030, which emphasises the cultural wellbeing of citizens, the Summit explored how a more sensitive and human-centred approach could lead the design of policy and programmes.

“Discussing citizen wellbeing and engagement in such a deep and pervasive way was unexpected and reassuring: it made us realise that our work sits in a social context, and how important culture is to building social capital. I returned home with a renewed commitment to pursue more nuanced approaches to citizen engagement through culture.” Lisa Colley, Manager Cultural Strategy, City of Sydney.

]]>2018-02-16T10:27:00+00:00http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/the-seoul-declaration
http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/the-seoul-declaration#When:11:15:00ZLast November, the World Cities Culture Forum met in Seoul. This marks the second of three blogs that brings out and reflects on the key discussions and topics that took place there. Our first blog on Seoul’s civic driven cultural policy can be found here. This follow up blog focuses on how world cities have much in common and much to learn from each other.

Climate Change continues to present a real threat for world cities. Culture must be part of the response, because it speaks to people in ways that statistics cannot; it reaches people at a human level. The Summit showcased examples of projects underway in world cities, and examples like the Seoul Upcycling Plaza highlight the need for city departments to work together and involve all sections of society in projects.

Gentrification and development can lead to vibrant creative neighbourhoods losing their unique energy and individuality. In world cities where this is a concern; many local governments are working to protect artists’ spaces and cultural venues. The most successful policies place power in the hands of citizens and integrate their involvement into city policy / action.

The World Cities Culture Forum is a vital mechanism for bringing together Deputy Mayors and city leaders with shared challenges and shared ambitions, providing leadership in this landscape. An international response to today’s global challenges is necessary in our connected world.

“I believe time has come for the governments of capitals and World Cities to take a bold international political initiative for their voices to be integrated where and when global decision-making takes place. In my view this is possible and necessary for the good of the planet.”

This ambition for a bold political initiative has resulted in The Seoul Declaration.

As signatories to The Seoul Declaration, World Cities in the Forum committed to the following:

To ensure that culture is a golden thread in all aspects of city policy, whether that might be housing or transport, health or education.

To make culture available to and empowering for all citizens (like we have seen in Seoul). Recognising that world cities are the workplaces, inspirations, safe harbours and homes of outward-looking, open-minded citizens.

To generate and learn from evidence and research, in pursuit of an enlightened and progressive approach to policy development and implementation.

To act as leaders in our field and to continue to collaborate in the face of shared challenges and shared opportunities, as identified by the World Cities Culture Forum through its events, publications and networks.

Seeking out cultural responses to climate change, recognising that artists help us to comprehend the challenges we face.

Speaking as one voice on behalf of all global citizens. To represent those who value humanist values of openness, exploration and free enquiry. Global citizens value free expression and understand that art does not respect national boundaries.

Developing the work of the World Cities Culture Forum through its Leadership Exchange Programme.

]]>2018-02-08T11:15:00+00:00http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/seoul-at-the-crossroads
http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/seoul-at-the-crossroads#When:10:52:00ZLast November, the World Cities Culture Forum met in Seoul. We’ve been reflecting on what happened in South Korea and the discussions that took place there. Here we present the first of three blogs relating to the Seoul Summit. Plans are already underway for the next gathering, which will be in San Francisco later in the year.

In the first of three dispatches from Seoul, this article reports on how the city is implementing an inspiring new cultural policy. One that is driven by a vision of civic-ness and citizen engagement, which demands neither state interference in people’s lives nor a model of laissez faire consumer capitalism.

South Korea is at a turning point in terms of its cultural policy, and the invitation to Seoul provided an opportunity for members to learn about the city’s exciting new cultural plan, ‘Seoul Culture Vision 2030’. This strategy seeks to guarantee cultural rights for the city’s citizens, while supporting artisans and makers. It’s the articulation of a human-centred cultural capitalism. This vision was a response to the city’s rapid economic growth and development, which had neglected its citizens’ happiness. It represents a commitment to become a ‘Citizen-first metropolitan City’, with a renewed focus on the cultural life of its citizens.

The opening session of the Summit heard from Hwang Sok-Yong (one of South Korea’s greatest living novelists), who talked passionately about the effects of the rapid growth and recent turbulence on the life of artists and ordinary citizens, setting the scene for the Summit. With an increasing focus on what citizens want, we considered, what does citizen engagement mean and what is the role of cities in supporting this? How can the arts and creativity play a role in the lives of citizens of a world city?

From the fall of 2016 to the spring of 2017, peaceful candlelight vigils in Seoul brought the world’s attention to Korea and its citizens. The plazas of Seoul became stages, galleries and canvasses upon which Seoul experienced an urban revolution. But even before the Candlelight Revolution, Seoul had been undergoing something of a paradigm shift, reflecting the central importance of public engagement in the development and delivery of cultural policy, in the words of Mayor Park: “from hardware to software; from quantitative growth to qualitative growth”. To move into a different future, the city has developed a radically different approach to cultural policy: The Seoul Culture Vision 2030, Creative Civic City.

This new strategy, which was showcased at the World Cities Culture Summit, is built upon the recognition that many citizens are excluded from culture or neglect their cultural lives. The goals of the new cultural strategy include:

Guarantee a right to culture by removing barriers

Support for lifelong arts education

Revitalization of everyday culture (citizens are not just spectators)

Balancing of investment and infrastructure across the whole city

Promotion of Seoul’s culture and history to the world

Improving artists’ welfare

Making cultural policy citizen-led, not top-down

There was a notable restored faith in the integrity of public institutions and the political will of the Mayor and his cultural team. In some ways culture is the perfect way for the city administration to demonstrate its commitment to the humanistic values it espouses. For the rest of us it embodies many of the principles that are informing World Cities around the globe: opening culture to everybody, and recognising that a full cultural life can lead to greater well-being and a better city for all. It was a privilege to see the strategy fresh and new, and for the sake of all South Koreans we look forward to it changing lives in what many of us consider to be the city of the future.

]]>2018-01-31T10:52:00+00:00http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/how-can-cities-integrate-environmental-sustainability-into-cultural-policym
http://www.worldcitiescultureforum.com/site/how-can-cities-integrate-environmental-sustainability-into-cultural-policym#When:10:24:00ZEarlier this month, states, cities, major NGOs and business leaders gathered in Bonn for COP23 to collaborate on the frameworks and policy solutions that will support countries’ efforts to achieve Paris Climate Agreement targets. The summit cemented world cities’ already ascendant role as leaders of global efforts to address climate change, with mayors setting ambitious targets and working collaboratively with cities around the world.

As cities take on increasing responsibility for helping nations meet their Paris Climate Agreement targets, they have an additional unexpected, and until this point largely overlooked, tool at their disposal to enact their sustainability and resilience agenda – their local cultural and creative industries.

With the World Cities Culture Forum’s latest handbook in our Policy and Practice Series, Culture and Climate Change, we are providing Mayoral administrations and other civic leaders with a roadmap to align their culture and climate change agendas. Culture and Climate Change provides the first global snapshot of efforts world cities are taking to green their creative industries, leverage culture to drive public awareness and engagement with climate issues, and involving culture in environmentally-led regeneration and urban infrastructure development.

These initiatives include:

The City of Edinburgh’s Green Venue Guide, a partnership between Creative Carbon Scotland and Festivals Edinburgh to reduce the environmental impact of the city’s festival and events economy

Amsterdam’s Cultural Venue Sustainability Action Plan, offering arts spaces across the city complimentary energy audits to monitor current use and advise on sustainability measures, in an effort to achieve a 20% reduction in energy use by 2020

CURRENT:LA Water, part of Los Angeles’ inaugural Public Art Biennial, bringing 15 site-specification installations throughout the city to increase residents’ understanding of and engagement with the city’s water issues

Refuge, a new initiative as part of the City of Melbourne’s resilience strategy to explore the role of cultural centres and artists in preparing for the impacts of climate related disasters

Cities need to establish frameworks that directly integrate sustainability and climate policy with cultural policy and should intentionally leverage their cultural capital - in the form of both human creativity and cultural buildings and infrastructure - towards sustainability and climate action. By bringing together cultural and environmental organisations, citizens, businesses and policymakers around a shared vision, mayors can get their message to new audiences, increase public engagement, and drive behaviour change on sustainability and climate change locally.

We hope Culture and Climate Change will inspire deeper levels of dialogue and action among mayoral administrations, environmental groups, and the creative community, that will drive joined-up solutions between cities’ environmental and cultural affairs departments.